First experience

In 2016, He Hanxia had her first experience of an escape room, along with a group of friends. In a darkened venue with narrow hallways, she solved clues, found hidden objects, completed puzzles and unlocked the room, which left her excited and fulfilled.

"It was an unforgettable experience. I thought I could create my own adventure－a story－and then invite people to be part of it," she said.

Once she had this idea, the 34-year-old, who majored in and graduated from university with a degree in English, paused her career of providing an overseas training service－jointly founding Island Storm in 2017 with her friend Zhao Pengchong.

Their first store opened in 2017 near the National Stadium in Beijing, and the business proved a success in just one month. Their second store opened in 2018, also in the capital. Now, Island Storm is one of the largest franchises of its kind in the country, operating 11 escape rooms nationwide.

Some 50 percent of the players are 18 to 35 years old, according to He.

"Younger consumers are looking for something new, rather than merely being scared in these games. They like to challenge themselves by playing games and solving puzzles," she said.

"More important, they want to have fun with friends. Ultimately, they gain the most satisfaction from doing these things with a group of their pals. It's not about competition, but collaboration."

She said the increased popularity of escape rooms has opened the door for set designers, NPC coaches and storyline writers.

"It usually takes six to eight months to produce a new escape room game. We have to make the puzzles fit the story, make the puzzles more fun, relevant and challenging, and find ways to immerse the players in the narrative," He added.

"It's all about the seamless integration of characters, story and puzzles as well as the lighting, sounds and multimedia technology."

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